Toph The Mighty!
by ATLAforever
Summary: It's five years after Sozin's comet and Toph is living in Omashu. Many adventures await everyone's favorite Earthbender in this comedic and sometimes romantic story! And don't Worry, there will be appearances by the rest of the gaang, too!   TophXOC
1. Omashu

Author's Note- everyone has their stories about Zuko, Katara, Aang, Sokka, and even Azula! But everyone seems to forget about the mighty Toph! I felt like it was time Toph got her _Own_ story. I've had the idea of a Toph story for a while and I finally got around to writing it!

I don't own any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender, they belong to Bryan and Mike!

Toph is 17, Liang is 18. This Story takes place 5 years after Sozin's comet.

**Story has been edited from it's original content. **

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The rock slammed into the wall as King Bumi of the Earth Kingdom dodged the sharp projectiles aimed at him.

"Nice try, Toph! But you won't get me with a move that simple! Eh-he-heh-heh-heh!" Snickered Bumi in his crazy and somewhat creepy mixture of laughing and snorting.

Toph turned her head in Bumi's direction and gave him an arrogant grin. "Don't worry, Bumi. I've got much more up my sleeve!" In quick succession, Toph procured a large rock and split it into six discs. She bended them all in Bumi's direction so he was surrounded by the earth. Two rocks crushed Bumi to the wall while two more held back his hands and the last two bound his legs to the wall. Bumi was trapped.

"Well, Toph! Looks like you beat me. Guess I better give-" Before he even finished the sentence, Bumi bended a large mound of earth in Toph's direction using his exposed head. Using his head for bending was a trick Bumi was famous for.

Toph quickly bended the earth back at Bumi before it got close to her. Finally, she had him completely covered in a mountain of rock and earth. "Looks like I really did beat you! Better Luck next time, Bumi!"

"Young Toph, you are getting better each day! Some day this old king won't be able to put up a fight! But not any time soon, of course! Eh-heheh-he!" Bumi released himself from the pile of rubble and mysteriously disappeared into a hole he created in the ground. "See you later, Ms. Bei Fong !" He yelled.

"Crazy Old Man" Toph murmured to herself. "That Bumi always challenges me, but never wins! Nobody can beat the Toph!" she said. "I'm the best Earthbender around!" Ever since she had learned to Metalbend, it was true. Toph _was_ the best earth-and metal-bender around. She was a true master at the age of only 17.

Since helping defeat the now-dethroned Firelord Ozai, Toph had decided to move to Omashu. Every day was exciting and Toph loved riding in the mail carts that wove through out the city. Toph also had frequent bouts with King Bumi. She was indeed the best, but Bumi was a close second.

Toph had grown a lot in the five years since Sozin's comet. She was taller and had a curvier, more girly shape. Toph's hair had also grown much longer and she mostly let her ebony tresses flow loosely over her shoulders. The only time she put it up in a bun was during bending matches, so it would stay out of the way. As her father has recently told her, Toph was growing into a beautiful young woman.

Toph left the fighting ring and walked towards her friend, Liang, who was sitting off to the side. Liang was an earthbender and Toph's best friend in Omashu. Toph was teaching her earthbending, but Liang was still nowhere near the master level that Toph was at.

"Liang!" Toph exclaimed. "Did you like how I kicked that old man's butt again?" She grinned expectantly.

"Wow Toph! I am so impressed! I can't believe you defeated King Bumi!" she giggled admiringly.

"Well it wasn't the first time! That old man never beats me!" Toph bragged.

"Well, your technique is quite advanced…and you are one of the best earthbenders around…"

"I AM the best! No one can beat me!"

"Hopefully I'll be able to! One day!…in the very distant future."

"You've got a lot to learn, Liang." Toph laughed as she punched her friend in the arm. She walked away from Liang and out the door of the room usually reserved for bending tournaments.

"Ow… that hurt" Liang said as she followed Toph out the door.

Liang was a horrible earthbender when she had met Toph one year earlier. They became fast friends despite their obvious personality differences. Liang was quiet, naïve, and impressionable, while Toph was blunt, sarcastic and loud. In exchange for earthbending lessons, Liang decided to let Toph live in the spare bedroom of her Omashu apartment. Liang lived alone, so having Toph move in was a nice change. It was just the right size for two people. They mostly got along-as long as Toph kept her messes confined to her own room! Liang was neat and kept everything in order, whereas Toph was pretty much the opposite. As Toph herself put it "I like to have a healthy coating of earth at all times."

The two girls stepped into their small apartment, which was located right in the heart of Omashu. Toph immediately sprawled out on the couch while tracking dirt all over the living room floor in the process.

"Toph, I wish you would wash your feet sometimes!" Liang pleaded.

"I'm Toph Bei Fong! I never wash my feet! How can you be an earthbender but not like a little dirt here and there?"

"Toph, not all earth benders like being covered in….FILTH!"

"Whatever, Clean Queen! I'm going out anyway!" Toph replied angrily. She stormed off to her room and changed into some cleaner clothes. Nothing of Toph's was ever completely clean, so she tried to find something that was decent. She chose a dark green knee-length skirt and a light green tank top and a green headband. It was hot this time of year in the Earth Kingdom. Toph wore no shoes, of course. She left her room and walked straight out of the apartment into the warm, dry Omashu air. She started walking towards her one of her favorite spots in town.

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A/N: This is my first story! Please review and tell me what you think! I love reviews!

I originally started this story in 2011, but got sidetracked. Now it's July 2012 and I'm back to write more =) Hope you like it!

-ATLAforever


	2. Chapter 2

"Iroh!" Toph yelled as she heard the retired general's voice across the room at the popular tea shop.

"Toph!" he yelled in reply as he walked over and gathered the earthbender in a huge bear hug. "I haven't seen you in weeks, young lady!" The tea shop was bustling with people. Once the war had ended, Iroh opened a tea shop in Omashu in addition to the one in Ba Sing Se. He brewed the best tea in Omashu.

"I know, things have been pretty busy teaching Liang earthbending and kicking Bumi's butt!" Toph said with a smirk. "But I had to stop by to visit my favorite firebender and have some world famous tea!" she grinned.

"Well it's good to see you, Toph. Sit down, have some fresh herbal tea!" Toph sat down at a nearby table and Iroh came to sit next to her with a steaming pot of tea.

"So! Have you heard from Sparky in the fire nation?" asked Toph. "How's the Firelord holding up these days?"

"My nephew is doing well Ms. Toph. A bit overwhelmed but his duties as usual, but he can handle himself."

"As long as he can keep that temper in check!" snickered Toph. Iroh smiled and joined in the laughter.

"Enough about my nephew." Iroh said after a few more snide remarks from Toph and a few loud bouts of laughter from both of them. "It's been a while since I brought out my Tsungi horn for all the customers to enjoy!" Iroh exclaimed with an excited grin. "I know the perfect song to play! You'll love it!"

_Yeah I'll love it, _thought Toph, _if I loved the sound of a dying duckmonkey! _ "Iroh, I forgot! There's something I have to go to." She said with a shrug. "Sorry!"

"Ohh, maybe it's a date with some lucky young gentleman?" Iroh said with a wink.

Toph could feel her face getting hot as he said that. She tried to hide the blush by turning around, but he had already seen it. Iroh smiled at the embarrassed young lady.

"Well, Miss. Toph. Wherever you're going, take a cup of tea to enjoy on the way!" he said with a knowing glance. He handed her a steaming cup filled with delicious herbal tea. She thanked Iroh and then walked onto the busy sidewalk.

"Man, I can't stand this heat!" said Toph. She took a sip of the now-cooled beverage and savored the perfect harmony of flavors. "The old man sure does make some good hot leaf juice!" Toph said. She finished the tea, then started walking towards her destination. She reached the small house and knocked three times on the door.

A boy came to the door and opened it. He looked to be a few years older than Toph.

"So! You finally made it, Bei Fong!"

"Yeah, yeah Eri. I Know I'm a little late for the meeting." Said Toph with a shrug of her shoulders.

"A Little?" shouted Eri, angrily. "We were supposed to start an hour ago!"

"Oh quit whining. At least I showed up!" snapped Toph. She pushed past Eri and walked across the room. She sat next to a girl with flowing dark brown hair. "How's it going, Jaya?" asked Toph. Jaya nodded in response and fixed her gaze on Eri as he continued with the meeting.

"So, as I was saying," he said with a glare in Toph's direction, "There seems to be another bandit in town. They seem to be experienced, since no one has caught them yet. Any ideas, people?"

"Maybe it's Minh up to his old tricks," said Jaya with a scowl. "We've already caught him stealing from the cabbage merchant. Twice!"

"MY CABBAGES!" shouted Teru, mimicking the easily angered cabbage merchant. Everyone burst out laughing as they remembered the merchant's frequent outbursts. Even Toph got a laugh when she pictured the distraught merchant's face when his entire cart had been destroyed by thieves.

"It's definitely a new bandit." remarked Toph smugly once everyone had stopped laughing.

"How can you tell it's a new bandit? Maybe it's one of the bandits we already caught! Maybe not! Wow, it could be anyone, Eri! Who knows! Oh and hi Toph! I forgot to say hi when you came in!" said Yora with toothy grin. Her wild brown hair danced around as she bobbed her head up and down in excitement. Yora was a skilled earthbender the same age as Toph, with a wild, bubbly personality,

"Sis, calm down! One thought at a time, please!" said Eri to his easily excited younger sister. "We need to focus on finding this bandit. So far they've stolen a few knives from the shop on the East side of the city, and a sword from another shop on the West side. It has to be the same person!"

"What makes you think it's the same person?" asked Jaya. She, like the other members of the group, was an Earthbender.

"Well…" Eri started. He looked at each member of the makeshift crime force. They had joined together to stop the common thieves and bandits of Omashu. Led by Toph, they were a strong group that had easily captured most thieves using their earthbending and skilled tactics. "It's the way they break into the store. Always at night, when no one is around. They made a perfect tunnel from outside the store to the inside."

"A tunnel? So it must be an earthbender!" concluded Yora.

"It is!" said Toph. "I went to both shops after the robberies, and I could feel the earth had been moved. By an earthbender."

"There are hundreds-no thousands of earthbenders in the city! How are we ever going to find out who did it?" asked Yora with a frown.

"We have to catch them in the act!" said Toph as she stood up from her seat and started pacing around the room.

"She's right." agreed Eri. "We need to watch all the weapon shops in the city that haven't been robbed. This bandit seems too smart to go back to the same place again so soon."

"Okay, everyone ask around about any suspicious earthbenders. But don't be obvious! If they know we're looking for them they'll be more careful!"

"But why would an earthbender want swords and knives? They sound dangerous!" a frown formed on Teru's face as he asked the question.

"We don't know Teru. Hopefully we'll find out soon enough."


	3. Discussions

**A/n- I love writing this story. Hope you like reading it as much as i like writing it!  
**

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"Alright everyone, that's enough for tonight. Let's meet again tomorrow." Said Toph. She said goodbye to everyone and walked out into the cold night.

"Bei Fong!" Eri bended a small rock in Toph's direction. She felt him moving the earth and stopped the rock before it reached her. "Man, no one can sneak up on you, huh?"

"Most people don't want to try." Said Toph with a smirk. Eri laughed "I can believe that!" They walked together for a few minutes until Eri broke the silence. "You know Toph, when I first met you, I couldn't stand you!"

"Psh, I wasn't too fond of you either." said Toph.

"I know, I know." Eri said with a roll of his eyes. "But ever since I met you, I admired how brave and courageous you are. Nothing scares you!"

"You got that right." Toph grinned.

"But, even after all you did to help Avatar Aang end the war, you were still pretty immature back then." Eri said with a smile.

"Hmph. So I was."

"No! What I was saying was that you've changed so much! Now, you're the best leader I know! Everyone listens to your opinions. And, well, frankly, you're a lot easier to get along with than you were back then."

"Am I?" asked Toph as she punched Eri on the arm.

"Ouch- your punches still hurt though!" Both benders couldn't stop from laughing at that remark. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm glad you're here, in Omashu, with us. If anything bad were to happen, I think all of us feel better knowing you're around to help."

"Well, you're not too bad yourself, Eri" Toph said with a smile. "You've had _few_ good moments."

"Whatever, Bei Fong. You know I've had more than a few." Eri said. To prove himself, Eri lifted the ground in front of where Toph was walking to try and trip her. She quickly felt him lift the small amount of earth and pushed it over, so the ground tripped Eri instead.

He smiled at his failed attempt to catch Toph off guard. "I need to practice bending faster!" he admitted.

"Try your tricks on someone else. They won't work on me. I _see_ everything!"

Eri shook his head and looked around. "I know." He wondered what it was like to be blind. His curiosity got the best of him and he couldn't help asking, "Toph, what's it like being blind?"

She stopped walking for a minute and gestured to all the buildings around them. "I've always been blind. So the way I see is normal to me. It's always been that way. I _see_ with my feet. I see all the people and buildings you see. Actually, I see better than you. I can tell when people are moving and when they're bending. I can see which direction they're bending in, and where it's going to go."

"So that's how you block all my attacks so easily!" Eri marveled. "That's amazing!"

"That's why I can fight- and defeat- anyone." Toph said. "I can _see_ everything they do." Eri nodded and continued walking. He thought about all the amazing things Toph could do-all without using her eyes.

They continued walking for a few more blocks. "I have a bad feeling about this bandit we're after. I hope we catch them before they rob any more stores."

"Me too, Eri. Don't worry. We'll catch them. We always do!"

They were approaching Toph and Liang's apartment. Kids were running all around the streets and playing games before it got too dark. Most of the shops and food stalls on the block were closing up for the night. As they walked to the door of Toph's home, she could feel Eri walking up behind her. "Don't you have to go home?" She felt his heartbeat quickening.

"I was w-wondering… if Liang was home?" he asked.

"Yeah. I can feel her walking around in there."

"Could you see if she'll come out and talk for a little while?"

"Why don't you see for yourself, lover boy?" Toph smirked and opened the door to the apartment. "Liang, I'm home! With a guest!" Liang walked out into the small living room. Once she saw it was Eri, her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"I'll leave you two alone…" said Toph. Both Eri and Liang's faces turned bright red at her comment.

"No, Toph… you can stay. I was just cutting some vegetables. For dinner!" Liang said.

"Like I'll be any help with that! I can't even see the damn vegetables!" Liang and Eri started laughing as the three of them walked into the kitchen. Toph could smell the aroma of freshly cooked vegetables as she entered the kitchen. Liang was a lousy earthbender, but she could cook delicious meals. Toph could tell that Eri's presence was making Liang nervous. Her heartbeat sped up whenever Eri looked at her.

_I can't believe Eri came here just to visit me, _thought Liang. _He's so handsome and funny…_ Liang could feel herself blushing as she remembered seeing Eri shirtless, dripping with sweat after a challenging earthbending match last week. She busied her thoughts with the stew she was preparing and tried not to think about the man standing two feet away from her.

_Wow, Liang is a great cook_ thought Eri as he watched Liang expertly chop the vegetables and add seasonings to the stew. Her face turned an alluring shade of light pink as she caught Eri watching her. _She is so beautiful..._ thought Eri.

* * *

"Why did the lion-bear cross the road?" began Eri. An hour has passed since he arrived and the three earthbenders were eating dinner together in Toph and Liang's tiny kitchen. Toph rolled her eyes at Eri's lame humor. She grabbed her bowl and deposited it into the sink. "Night, Liang. Bye Eri." Toph said. "I'm going to sleep."

Liang quickly glanced up from her conversation with Eri. "Toph, you're going to bed so early?" she asked with a frown. "We were going to play a game!"

"I'm tired." She stated, simply. She was tired after such a long day. But she was also tired of Eri's jokes and the way Liang giggled at each one. She needed a break from the lovebirds.

* * *

Liang watched Toph walk upstairs and wondered if she had done something to upset her. "I hope Toph isn't mad at us" she said.

"No, she just has a lot to deal with. Always devising ways to catch bandits and outsmart the thieves that arise here in Omashu. She's quite the leader." Eri said, proudly. Liang smiled at him. She was proud of Toph too.

"I know Toph can get frustrated sometimes, and she's a bit impatient, but she really knows what's best for us." Eri said. "We're both a little worried about the future, but I know if we all work together, we can stop anything."

Liang admired the way Eri was so confident about everything. She blushed when he looked at her.

Eri admired the patient and trusting way Liang looked at him_. _He took hold of Liang's hand. "Whatever happens in the future, Liang, I'll protect you, too." He face turned bright red at Eri's comment and he smiled at her. "Sorry for being so serious all of a sudden. I was just thinking about a lot of things."

"It's o-okay" said Liang. She was a bit surprised by Eri's declaration, but it made her happy, too. "B-by the way, I meant to ask you... Toph got a letter today." Liang walked over to the front door and picked up the letter from the nearby table it was sitting on. "I think it's from the Northern Water Tribe." She handed Eri the crisp letter printed on light blue paper.

"This is definitely from the Northern Water Tribe." he said. "You can tell by the seal." It was sealed by an intricate design of two interlocked koi fish.  
"Do you know who it's from?" he asked.

"I have no idea! I was going to ask you." she relied, confused. "I don't know why anyone would send Toph a letter since she can't even read it." Liang took the letter from Eri and held it tightly in her hands. "I should probably go give it to her. I could read it if she wants me to..."

"It could be important. You should give it to her." he said. "It's getting pretty late, so I must get going home. My sister is going to start worrying about me."

Liang laughed as she pictured Yora pacing around the house, wondering what was taking her older brother so long to get home. "Knowing Yora, she's probably be worried for a few minutes then get distracted by something else." Liang said with a smile. Eri returned her smile and walked over so he was in front of her.

"Good night Liang," he said quietly, leaning in as he closed his eyes. Liang quickly stepped to the side before Eri could kiss her and mumbled, "...'night Eri." before turning around and walking upstairs. She felt her face getting hot and mentally scolded herself for reacting in that way. _Eri is kind. He would never hurt you..._ She thought. _Why do you avoid a boy who tries so hard to win you over? _She asked herself. Liang reached Toph's room and placed the letter on the table her bed. Then, she quietly walked to her own room. _I have to learn to trust again, _thought Liang as she wiped a tear from her eye.

* * *

Toph awoke to the sound of someone leaving her room. _Must be Liang, _she thought. Toph reached to her bedside table to take a drink of water from the glass that she usually kept there. Instead, he fingers brushed against a thick piece of folded paper. _A letter? _Wondered Toph as she held the small piece of paper. _This must be a letter. But from who? Who would send me a letter? _Toph mentally went through a list of people who could have possibly sent the letter. The only people she could think of were Haru and maybe The Duke. Suki and Sokka were busy with their young son. Katara and Aang wouldn't bother sending a letter. They would just visit Toph if they wanted to see her. And Toph hardly corresponded with old sparky, since he had many duties to the Fire Nation which took up all his time. There was only one person who would send a letter.

"Rei." Toph whispered.

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**A/n-Please review! I'd love to know what you're thinking about the characters and the story so far.**

**Who is this "rei" character you wonder? Guess you shall find out in the next chapter! =)**


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